Bernardo Silva: ‘What matters is that we’re top of the league’

Dan Butterfield
Manchester City star Bernardo Silva

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has admitted that being top of the Premier League table means more to him than his goalscoring feats after his side’s 3-1 win over Watford.

The Portuguese star struck twice either side of half-time to put the game firmly beyond the Hornets and secure a fifth straight league victory.

Silva weaved past two defenders before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann to add to City’s advantage following Raheem Sterling’s opener.


Luck favours brave West Ham against beleaguered Chelsea


The 27-year-old then followed up his first-half strike with a clever curled effort into the top corner for his side’s third.

However, speaking after the win, Silva is focusing on the team rather than himself.

Silva told Sky Sports: “It was definitely a very good job in the first half. The team started very well, creating chances and not allowing them to counter-attack. We scored two in the first half but should have scored more.

“It’s always better to be top of the league than second, third or fourth, but it’s still early. It’s so close – Liverpool are just one point behind us, Chelsea are two points behind us.

“Liverpool and Chelsea are having an amazing season. It’s tough for us to compete with each other. We know the level and standards are very high. We know how tough it is to win the most competitive league in the world. We’re going to try our best, like we always do.

“This season I’ve been scoring a lot and I’ll try to keep it that way. What matters is that we’re top of the league now and the team are doing very well at the moment. At the end of the season we want to celebrate some titles.

“My first four goals this season were all tap-ins. My last few goals have been quite good, but it doesn’t matter – what matters is putting the ball in the back of the net. I’m happy to help the team.

“We know we don’t have a striker. We have a lot of players who try to get in the box and finish. We try to put numbers in the box. If we arrive in the box, we’re going to score goals.

“We’re happy with the moment and happy with our form. We have to keep working because this season is going to be very tough.”